swap

1 of 2

verb

ˈswäp 

swapped; swapping

transitive verb

1

a

: to give in trade : barter

b

: exchange sense 2

2

: to take turns in telling

swap stories

intransitive verb

: to make an exchange

swapper noun

swap

2 of 2

noun

: an act, instance, or process of exchanging one thing for another

Synonyms of swap

Verb

• exchange
• trade
• substitute
• change

Noun

• exchange

Examples of swap in a Sentence

Verb

He swapped his cupcake for a candy bar.

I swapped seats with my sister so she could see the stage better.

I liked her blue notebook and she liked my red one, so we swapped.

Noun

They made the swap in secret.

we made a swap: I'll do the dishes tonight and she'll do them for me tomorrow

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

At the same time, adoption is accelerated by young people swapping state-of-the-art technology for more lo-fi alternatives. —Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026

The British Ministry of Defense, however, says swapping to an alternative fabric is not so simple. —Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 14 June 2026

Noun

Upper Basin agricultural users at the center of the Colorado River swap proposal, like Utah alfalfa farmers, on average earn less than $250 per acre-foot of water used—more than 10 times less than the cost of Carlsbad desal. —Sara Sutherland, Oc Register, 8 June 2026

Fineman’s warning about marketing language is critical for shoppers trying to make safer swaps. —Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English swappen to strike; from the practice of striking hands in closing a business deal

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1625, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing swap

• swap meet
• swap stories

Rhymes for swap

• bop
• chop
• cop
• crop
• drop
• flop
• fop
• hop
• knop
• lop
• mop
• op

Kids Definition

swap

verb

ˈswäp

swapped; swapping

: to give in exchange : make an exchange : trade

swap noun

Legal Definition

swap

noun

ˈswäp

1

: an exchange of securities

2

: a derivative contract in which two parties (as corporations) agree to exchange rates especially relating to debt